The National tribune., 1887-11-03
FIGHTING THEM OVER
What0ur Veterans Have 10 Say About
Their Old Campaigns
PICKET AND PRISON.
The Misadycnturcs Of Squad OF Wisconsin Ca
alrymen.

month of April, 1864, while Gen. sherman was
organizing his army for the Atlanta campaign,
the cavalry lost many men on picket and in
scouting between the advance Of the contend
ing armies. One Of these captured picket posts
consisted of 25 men OF Co. l.. and the Second
Lieutenant of Co. M, lst Wis. Cav.
On the morning of the 10Th of April, 1864,
detail OF 100 men from our regiment was sent
60 the east OF Cleveland, Tenn, to relieve a
similar detail Of " Jim" Brownlow's LIST East
Tenn. Cav, which had been out on picket for
three days. This command was divided into
two posts the first was stationed Eve miles
east of Cleveland, and consisted of Capt. Com
stock Of Co. a, aud Lieutenant, and IS men
of Co.'S q and l.. with orders % patrol between
that post and the outpost, which was five miles
farther east. on Cookson Creek. aud consisted
of Lieut.. Colwell, of Co. nj, and 25 men of Co.
4. OF these rs men six were what we called
"oLD SOLDIERS"
of whom one was a Sergeant aud two or three
were COrporals; the 10 others were recruits who
had Joined the regiment at Cleveland the last
Of March, the writer being one of the number
and the yOungest-ls years Of age on April L.
1864.
Our camp was on the west bank of the creek
on high ground, and well covered with second
growth timber. BrownlOws men, or some
Others, prior 10 our adventure had provided
shelters of boards from saw-Inll Just above
our camp. on the creek, belonging 90 Col. w. +.
Green, strong rebel. Passing down a rayine
we crossed the creek on low. wooden bridge
and on 20 the cas- ward about half mile, over
smooth bottom land. we came to the old Fed
eral road, called by Kentucky stockmen the old
Stock road.
la the daytime one videt was stationed Mt
the junction OF these roads, another on hill
20 the south OF the camp, aud third at a
crossroad about so rods in the rear. At night
the videt from the old Federal road was with
drawn and stationed at the bridge. The Fed
eral road, running south for many miles along
the valley Of the COOkson Creek, was very
smooth for that section of the country. To the
west of the creek, between two parallel lines of
hills, and from one TO two miles from the Fed
eral road, was one less Travelled, by which the
advance of the rebel Gen. Whoeer's cavalry got
IN OUR REAR THAT NIGHT.
Early on tho morning Of April 10 our camp
was assailed by the enemy from the rear.
Hiram Beardsley, who was the videt at the
crossroads in the rear, says: As the advance
OF tho rebel column approached could see our
blue Oyercoats, and ms they were coming from
the direction OF our reserve pickets and
through the fog of the early dawn, took them
20 be the patrol We were momentarily ex-
pectinE, and did not halt them as soon as j
should have done, and when j discovered my
mistake il was too late 10 give the alarm"
Thus Beardsley was captured without the
charged upon the unsuspeeting camp.
Serg'tJ. b. Messerschmidt who escaped at
this time, was afterwards captured at Atlanta
July %, aud gave us in Anders0nyille his ex-
perience of April l3, as follows: During the
night felt very uneasy about our position. rs
we had seen nothing OF the patrol from the re-
serve picket. j spoke 10 the Lieutenant two
or three times about the boys being SO much
scattered and not prepared for action. The
most OF them being recruits, j knew they did
not realize the situation. The Lieutenant
finally told me to attend TO my own business,
as lac was
RUNNING THAT POST.
az then mounted my horse, thinking /
would first visit the videt in the rear and warn
him OF our apparent danger; then would
awaken all the men and have them prepared
for the worst As j approached the videt
Bcardsley i heard his command of Halt!'
and the enemy's low, but determined, demand
for him to surrender i turned my horse to-
ward the little camp, but as did so the rebels
started on their charge. aud were even with
me before had hardly turned around II was
90 dark and foggy they did not distinguish
me from their own men, as they had blue over
coats on, SO rode with them iutO aud through
the camp, down the hill to the creek, then left
my horse, and, crossing on the food wood below
the camp. got into the willows on the east side
of the creek"
Ant fcuSis cunning in 80 StealLnlly from Lie
rear, The capture was made with very few shots
fired from either side. One of our men. named
Trip, was wounded in the thigh, and died in
the rebel hospital at Atlanta soon after Six Of
the men got away, all but one of whom were
old soldiers" thus proving 10 the recruits that
they were not yet duly initiated into the
perilous duties of picket on the outposts.
After the surrender we were hurried across
the creek aud on 90 the "0ld Federal road :"
where there was a large body OF rebel cavalry
After passing through the rebel column we
asked the officer ia command of our guards
why there were SO many troops there TO capt
ure
so SMALL A POST AS OURS.
he said that the day before a citizen from that
vicinity had gone to Gen. Wheeler, at Tunnel
Hill, and told him that Jim Brownlow was out
there with his whole regiment, and deied
wheeler 10 come; so Wheeler had picked 500
OF his best men and horses, expecting to capture
one OF the best regiments OF our whole cavalry
corps. Besides, these were the most radical and
determined OF Union men,-men who were
hghting Tor and over their very hearthstones,-
they knew every nook and corner of that part
Of Tennessee and Georgia; and Gen. Wheeler.
WITH all has skill as a cavalry General, would
not have got out Of that little scrape quite so
easily as he did when he took 10 raw recruits
and raw Lieutenant
am under obligations TO COmrade John w.
NlChOeif Vi hbhenh, 1enu.t ana one OF brown
lows regiment, for further information In this
matter which also confirms the statement the
rebel officer made 10 us more than % years ago
My father lived at that time IN the edge of
Murray County, Ga, about ~ miles south of
where our regiment was on picket near Col
w. - Green's mill on CooksOn Creek, April
~, 1864, when relieved by your regiment. j
was personally acquainted with about lbs of
Whecler's men, they were from Bradley
County, Tenn. Wheeler's command arrived al
my fathers that night about $50 o'clock and
remained until O'Clock in the morning aim
ing 20 capture me, supposing was al home.
Wheeler told my mother that night that he
would capture me and
BR0wNLow's WHOLE COMMAND:
but failed, as Brownlow was relieved before
Wheeler arrived. Brownlow would have been
glad 10 meet him there or anywhere else. A
Drawer man never commanded a regiment in
the Federal army than Col. James u. Brown
low"
IL was so early in the morning when Wheeler
called upon us that we had not been TO break
fast, and 10y their courtesy, and with mounted
escort, we tcnderfeet took little walk of IS
miles 10 Dalton, where we brealfasted about
3 o'clock D. m. j do not now remember lust
what we got, for ! was so disguised with the
quantity aud quality Of that breakfast that
did not remember anything but the contempt
had for their style of hospitality.
j had plenty of time, however during that
long and terrible Summer at Andersonville 10
store away IN my memory the kind, quality
and quantity Of our average daily rations I
will not attempt 10 describe my experience in